A method for remotely recording Web usage by a panelist includes receiving at a remote processor, a command from a local client to display a Web page; identifying the local client and the panelist operating the local client; accessing the Web page; rendering the Web page in a remote browser; sending an image of the Web page to a local browser of the local client; and recording Web usage metrics associated with a display of the image on the local browser.
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1. A method of metering Web usage by a panelist, comprising: transmitting, from a local browser installed on a media device over a computer network to an analytics server, a first command comprising a request to access a first Web page, the analytics server accessing the first Web page; sending, by the media device to the analytics server, a device identifier of the media device and a user identifier of a user of the media device, the analytics server confirming that the media device and a user of the media device belong to a panel; establishing, by the media device, a remote display session between the media device and the analytics server; receiving, by the media device from the analytics server via the established remote display session, a first image of the first Web page as rendered by a remote browser installed on the analytics server, the analytics server recording Web usage metrics associated with the rendering of the first image at the remote browser; displaying, by the local browser, the first image.
A method for tracking a panelist's web usage involves a user's device sending a request to an analytics server to access a webpage. The device also sends its unique identifier and the user's identifier to the analytics server, which verifies that the device and user are part of a panel. The device then establishes a remote display session with the analytics server. The analytics server renders the requested webpage in a remote browser and sends an image of the rendered page back to the user's device for display in the local browser. The analytics server simultaneously records web usage metrics related to rendering the webpage.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the local browser comprises a thin browser and the remote browser comprises a fat browser.
The web usage metering method of the previous description specifies that the local browser on the user's device is a "thin" browser, meaning it has minimal processing capabilities, while the remote browser running on the analytics server is a "fat" browser, equipped with more extensive processing power and features. This division of labor offloads the bulk of webpage rendering to the server-side "fat" browser, improving performance on the user's device, which relies on the "thin" browser only for display.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising: transmitting, by the media device to the analytics server, a second command responsive to a click of a link in the first image, receipt of the second command triggering the fat browser to access and render the second Web page, and receiving, by the media device from the analytics server, a second image as rendered by the remote browser, the analytics server recording second Web usage metrics associated with display of the second image, and displaying, by the local browser, the second image.
The web usage metering method, where the local browser is "thin" and the remote browser is "fat," extends to handling user interactions. When a user clicks a link within the displayed image of the webpage, the device sends a command to the analytics server. This triggers the "fat" browser on the server to access and render the new webpage. The server then sends a new image of the newly rendered webpage back to the device for display. The analytics server continues to record web usage metrics associated with rendering this second image.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Web usage metrics include the device identifier and the user identifier.
In the web usage metering method, the collected web usage metrics include the device identifier and the user identifier, allowing the analytics server to directly associate the browsing activity with a specific panelist and their device.
5. A system for metering Web usage by a panelist, the system comprising an analytics server comprising a memory and one or more processors configured to execute a remote browser; wherein the analytics server is configured to: receive, over a computer network, a command from a local browser installed on a media device, the command comprising a request to access a Web page, and confirm that the media device and a user of the media device belong to a panel; and wherein the remote browser is configured to: access the Web page, and render the Web page; and wherein the analytics server is further configured to: send an image of the Web page to the media device, the local browser displaying the image; and record, to the memory, Web usage metrics associated with the display of the image by the user of the media device belonging to the panel.
A system for metering web usage includes an analytics server with memory and processors running a remote browser. The server receives requests from a user's device to access webpages and verifies the user and device belong to a panel. The remote browser accesses and renders the webpages. The server sends images of the rendered webpages back to the user's device for display and records web usage metrics associated with the display of these images by the panelist's device and user.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the Web page includes encrypted resources, and wherein the remote browser is further configured to decrypt the encrypted resources.
The system for web usage metering, where an analytics server renders webpages remotely and sends images to the user, can handle encrypted webpage resources. The remote browser on the analytics server is configured to decrypt these encrypted resources before rendering the webpage and sending the image to the user's device. This ensures that the panelist's web browsing activity can be tracked even when the webpages utilize encryption for security.
7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the analytics server is further configured to record, to the memory, the website uniform resource locator, a length of visit, a day and time of visit, and actions performed in the local browser during display of the image.
The system for web usage metering, where an analytics server renders webpages remotely and sends images to the user, records additional information. The analytics server records the website URL, the length of the visit, the day and time of the visit, and actions performed in the local browser during the display of the image. This detailed tracking provides a comprehensive view of the panelist's browsing behavior.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the image includes videos, wherein the videos include video advertisements, and wherein the actions include skipping one or more video advertisements.
The system for web usage metering, where the analytics server records detailed browsing information, is applied to video content. The images sent to the local browser include videos, which may contain video advertisements. The actions performed by the user include skipping one or more of these video advertisements. This allows for tracking of advertisement engagement and avoidance.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the analytics server is further configured to record, to the memory, an impression of an advertisement contained in the image.
The system for web usage metering, which tracks actions performed on video advertisements, further records impressions of advertisements contained in the image sent to the user's device. This allows the analytics server to measure whether an advertisement was displayed to the user, even if the user skipped it.
10. A method of metering Web usage by a panelist, comprising: receiving, by an analytics server via a computer network, a command from a local browser installed on a media device, the command comprising a request to access a Web page; confirming, by one or more processors of the analytics server, that the media device and a user of the media device belong to a panel; accessing, by the analytics server from a web server, the Web page; rendering, by a remote browser executed by the one or more processors, the Web page; sending, by the analytics server, an image of the Web page to the media device, the local browser displaying the image; and recording, to a memory of the analytics server, Web usage metrics associated with the rendering of the image by the remote browser.
A method for tracking a panelist's web usage involves an analytics server receiving a request from a user's device to access a webpage. The server verifies that the device and user belong to a panel. The server accesses the requested webpage and renders it using a remote browser. An image of the rendered webpage is sent back to the user's device for display. The analytics server records web usage metrics associated with the rendering of the image.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the media device is a mobile device and further comprising reducing, by the remote browser, the image size from the rendered Web page.
The web usage metering method, where the analytics server renders webpages remotely and sends images to the user, is optimized for mobile devices. The remote browser reduces the image size from the rendered webpage before sending it to the mobile device, to account for the smaller screen size and bandwidth limitations.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the media device is a mobile device, and further comprising rendering, by the remote browser, the resource with a size matching a display of the mobile device.
The web usage metering method, where the analytics server renders webpages remotely and sends images to the user, tailors the rendering for mobile devices. The remote browser renders the webpage with a size that matches the display of the mobile device, ensuring optimal viewing on the smaller screen.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the image is an image of a streaming video.
The web usage metering method, where the analytics server renders webpages remotely and sends images to the user, can handle streaming video. The image sent to the user's device is an image of a streaming video.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the remote processor further operates to record the website uniform resource locator, a length of visit, a day and time of visit, and actions performed in the local browser during display of the image.
The web usage metering method, where an analytics server renders webpages remotely and sends images to the user, records additional browsing details. The remote processor records the website URL, the length of the visit, the day and time of the visit, and actions performed in the local browser during the display of the image.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the image comprises an image from a video comprising one or more video advertisements, and wherein the actions include skipping one or more video advertisements.
The web usage metering method, which tracks detailed browsing information, is applied to video content. The image sent to the local browser is from a video containing video advertisements. The actions performed by the user include skipping one or more of these video advertisements. This allows for tracking of advertisement engagement and avoidance.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the analytics server records an impression of an advertisement contained in the image.
The web usage metering method, which tracks actions performed on video advertisements, also records whether an advertisement contained in the image was displayed to the user, even if the user skipped it. This provides data on advertisement impressions.
17. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions for metering Web usage by a panelist that when executed by a processor of a media device, cause the processor to: transmit, from a local browser installed on the media device via a computer network to an analytics server, a first command comprising a request to access a first Web page, receipt of the first command triggering the analytics server to access the first Web page; send, to the analytics server, a device identifier of the media device and a user identifier of a user of the media device, receipt of the device identifier triggering the analytics server to confirm that the media device and a user of the media device belong to a panel; receive, from the analytics server, a first image of the first Web page rendered by a remote browser executed by the analytics server, the analytics server recording Web usage metrics associated with the rendering of the first image by the remote browser; display, by the local browser, the first image.
A computer-readable medium contains instructions for tracking a panelist's web usage. These instructions, when executed by a device's processor, cause the device to send a request to an analytics server for a webpage. The device sends its identifier and the user's identifier to the server, triggering the server to verify panel membership. The device receives an image of the rendered webpage from the server. The analytics server records web usage metrics related to the rendering of this image. The device's local browser displays the received image.
18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the local browser comprises a thin browser and the remote browser comprises a fat browser.
The computer-readable medium, containing instructions for tracking a panelist's web usage, specifies browser types. The local browser on the user's device is a "thin" browser, while the remote browser on the analytics server is a "fat" browser. This offloads the bulk of webpage rendering to the server, improving performance on the user's device.
19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein execution of the instructions further causes the processor to: transmit, to the analytics server, a second command identifying a click of a link in the first image, receipt of the second command triggering the remote browser to access and render a second Web page, receive, from the analytics server, a second image as rendered by the remote browser, the analytics server recording second Web usage metrics associated with rendering of the second image by the remote browser, and display, by the local browser, the second image.
The computer-readable medium, containing instructions for web usage tracking with "thin" and "fat" browsers, handles user interactions. When the user clicks a link, the device sends a command to the analytics server. This triggers the remote "fat" browser to access and render the new webpage. The server sends a new image of the webpage to the device. The server records web usage metrics, and the device displays the second image.
20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the Web usage metrics include the device identifier and the user identifier.
The computer-readable medium, containing instructions for web usage tracking, includes the device identifier and the user identifier in the collected web usage metrics. This allows the analytics server to associate browsing activity with a specific panelist and their device.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
November 13, 2013
May 2, 2017
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